Mergers and acquisitions can be a powerful way to speed up the growth of business activities, but they come up with a unique series of challenges that are often underestimated.
The M&A landscape evolved in 2025. Today’s deals require more than a good financial match; They demand cultural compatibility, customer -oriented thinking and operational excellence. Companies must be agile enough to integrate quickly, while they still protect what both brands have made successful in the first place.
We know this firsthand in COS. In the past five years we have completed six acquisitions, with more than 20% of our growth at that time that is driven directly by these deals. We recently welcomed two respected companies in our national activities. More than just a growth strategy, these acquisitions were an opportunity to strengthen our customer offering, broaden our reach and bring great people to the COS family.
COS is the largest family business in Australia, the company in the workplace. Founded in 1977 by our deceased father, Dominique Lyone, the company was built on a vision of excellence of service and social responsibility. What started when a small operation has grown into a national company with more than 600 employees and warehouses in every state and territory and Today we are proud to lead Cos as co-CEOs of the second generation. Every day our teams deliver thousands of products to workplaces, schools and hospitals throughout Australia and help them keep them safe, healthy and productive.
After we have navigated several acquisitions ourselves, we have seen what works – and what is not – when it comes to merging teams, systems and cultures. Here are our top tips for controlling mergers and acquisitions in 2025 – and why doing well is more than ever.
Priority to cultural compatibility
M&A Success often does not depend on spreadsheets, but on people. A cultural misfit can delay integration, compromise morally erode and the customer experience. That is why understanding the other company – their values, leadership style and internal culture – is essential from the start.
You cannot falsify cultural alignment – if it is not there, everything else becomes more difficult. We have always led with values, and that helped us attract the right companies to become a member of COS.
Communicate early, clear and often
People are afraid of the unknown. For employees, customers and suppliers, silence can cause anxiety and uncertainty during a takeover. Regular, transparent communication – before, during and after the transition is crucial for maintaining trust and momentum.
At COS we have planned and delivered communication in waves: customized updates for internal teams, proactive outreach for customers and coordination meetings with suppliers and partners.
It is easy to underestimate the emotional side of mergers and acquisitions. Change is difficult, so we ensured that our people felt informed, supported and authorized in every step.
Keep the best of both worlds
Acquisition does not have to mean a complete overhaul. The best integrations even protect what works well in the acquired company – whether it is experienced staff, great local service or loyal customer relationships.
At COS we focused on identifying what made each company valuable for its customers and we looked for ways to bed in our national offer. In some cases, these acquisitions have introduced completely new possibilities – product reaches and services that we had not previously offered. Instead of folding them in our existing model, we have embraced their strengths to improve what COS can deliver. The point is to add to who we are, not replacing what we have built.
Set the customer experience first
From the outside, customers should not feel the friction of an M&A event. Their service must be uninterrupted or better. That means prioritizing with operational continuity, product availability and support for accessibility during the integration process.
Of course nothing is perfect, and in every transition a certain level of disruption is inevitable. The key is to move quickly, listen carefully and to have the right people on the floor who give you information. That enabled us to respond quickly, to make improvements where necessary and to minimize the impact on our customers.
We have set a huge focus to ensure that our new teams were trained, rested and confident before the first customer grabbed the phone.
Invest in integration, not just acquisition
Acquiring the company is only step one, but the real challenge is in delivery. Integration takes time, leadership and the right resources. It requires a special plan that includes everything, from people and systems to processes and branding.
We have invested heavily in change management, team training and operational support. We also caused leadership presence in every newly acquired company, so that they were now part of the COS family – not only in name, but also in support and goal.
Integration also meant listening to the concerns of our new team members and understanding what they needed to feel supported and successful. From welcome sessions to dedicated onboarding plans, we have worked hard to ensure that they felt as part of the COS family from the first day.
Use mergers and to strengthen your value proposition
Ultimately, every acquisition must make your company stronger, so that you can better serve your customers, stimulate innovation and unlock new possibilities. For COS, our recent acquisitions have not only enabled us to expand to new regions and to strengthen our national reach, but also deepened our product range and have tightened our customer promise.
We believe that the true measure of a successful acquisition is not only about growth in numbers; The point is to ensure that our people continue to feel proud to work here and that our customers remain at the center of everything we do. This focus on values and customer service is what distinguishes us and encourages our success in the long term.
For us, M&A is not just a growth strategy, it is a leadership challenge. And in 2025, controlling that challenge means leading with values, giving priority to people and keeping the customer experience in the center of every decision.
If it is done well, it is transformational. Our recent acquisitions have not only expanded our footprint – they have brought great people, fresh thinking and brought new opportunities to deliver more for our customers.
At best, mergers and acquisitions must leave your company stronger than it started – not only on paper, but in the goal, possibilities and culture.
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